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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29162454">Into the Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MushFund/pseuds/MushFund'>MushFund</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Songfics [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto Series (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Falling In Love, Grief, Homophobia, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mourning, Parental Death, Roman being a pervert as always, Songfic, Teenagers, War, pet death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:47:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,015</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29162454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MushFund/pseuds/MushFund</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of two young Serbian men falling in love against all odds. Based on the song "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bernie Crane/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Songfics [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011183</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Into the Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Two fics? In one week? I must be on some sort of marathon! I love this song (and Bernie) so the idea to combine them came naturally. I apologize if everything is not 100-percent canon compliant/historically accurate, I tried my best but on some parts I did have to use my imagination. This was great fun to write, in addition to being a very personal story, as some minor events are based on those from my own experiences as a child. Anyways, thanks for reading, and enjoy.</p><p>Credit for the song lyrics goes to azlyrics.com. I do not intend to take credit for them. I did, however, modify the female pronouns to suit a male character.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Life wasn’t exactly easy for you. At the tender age of 17, you were left as the sole caretaker of your family following your father’s demise after a long bout of illness. Your mother was a homemaker, therefore too busy about the house to take on a job that would provide enough income for her, yourself, and your younger sister, Zora, meaning that you, freshly out of compulsory school and still grieving, found yourself spending most of the day at your neighbor’s pig farm. While your employer was a kind man, and there was the added benefit of being allowed to take home free, fresh pork for your family’s meals, slaughtering hogs and cleaning up after them was far from what you had wanted in life. It was amazing how quickly life could change. You longed for your younger days when you had so little worry.</p><p>Nonetheless, there was a light in your life. His name was Florian, and although a year younger than you, he was without a doubt your best friend. You had met him through two of your other mates, cousins by the name of Niko and Roman, and you two had grown quite close, effectively being lifelong friends since you all were little boys. You shared a lot in common - while Niko and Roman were more out and about, boisterous and in the moment, you and Florian preferred to stick to the sidelines and deliver a few snarky comments - usually at Roman’s failed attempts to woo the girls of your village. You two would talk for hours, sharing dreams - his of becoming a wrestler professionally (to which a playfight would ensue) and yours of owning your own business someday. You both held the same wish of wanting to see the world beyond your homeland of Serbia.</p><p>However, there was another thing you two shared: feelings for one another. You had always known you were gay. It was something you repressed, even trying to flirt with a few of the girls Roman tossed your way, but you just couldn’t suppress who you truly were. Of course, such a thing was unheard of in your village. Every man was expected to meet and marry a woman and eventually have kids. This brought you immense guilt, as now that you were older, your mom was expecting you to find a woman. You were, after all, at the age when she had married. You always gave a vague answer about how it would happen in time and that you just hadn’t met the right one yet. It wasn’t that you hated girls - many of them were your friends - you just couldn’t find it in yourself to be attracted to them romantically. Even worse, you had the lingering feeling that your father would be ashamed of you.</p><p>Florian had been your first crush on someone that wasn’t an actor - after all, he was handsome, smart, and funny, and you two had nearly everything in common. He eventually came to work at the slaughterhouse with you, where you two would share breaks on the job and time together once your shifts were over, talking and having some food, soda, and maybe swapping cigarettes if you guys had some spare change to buy them. It was the one part of the day you really looked forward to. Even in all the muck and grime, Florian somehow managed to shine above it all. You found yourself admiring him quite a bit and thinking of him more than you were willing to admit. He always made you happy to see him. And he knew you very well - so much so that on one particular occasion when you seemed especially gloomy, he confronted you about it. Having had no one to talk to, you burst like a string stretched too tight, spilling nearly everything - about being gay and feeling ashamed of it.</p><p>Florian blushed, and quietly said that he was of the same persuasion. You two looked at one another in shock for a moment before sharing your very first long and tender kiss. And since that day, you two became a couple, albeit in secret. As hard as it was to resist, affections could only be shared when you were absolutely certain no one else was around. This served to only make the joy and pleasure you experienced with him all the better.</p><p>One night, after the day’s work was done, you and Florian were walking hand in hand over to a place you had deemed ‘your spot’. It was a quiet, secluded field with a cobblestone wall surrounding its contents. You had imagined many years ago it must have held something, perhaps livestock, but now it was nothing but lush, green grass that flowed in the breeze, thick and wavy. </p><p>It was a bit of a ways away, so you and Florian were taking your time, enjoying the afternoon air, hand in hand. There was no path that led up to this wall, and you fellows had discovered it on chance, meaning it was relatively safe to be together there. </p><p>“You did great today, Y/N.”, Florian gushed, his voice getting high pitched as you had noted it did when he was emotional (adorably so), “You’re so strong, handling all those hogs!” You blushed as he felt your arm with his free hand.</p><p>“Aww…”, you smiled warmly at your lover, “I had something, well, someone, to look forward to. That’s why I was working so hard.”</p><p>Florian giggled sweetly, to which you turned, pressing a kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around you, deepening the smooch. You two were locked together, entranced, when the sound of footsteps broke you two apart. You had never pulled away so quickly, panting, face flushed, heart racing - only to find your younger sister staring up at you both, her brown eyes wide with surprise. It seemed she was just as shocked as you and Florian were.</p><p>“Zora!”, you gasped, “I… um, what are you doing here?”</p><p>“Mom sent me.”, she explained, voice flat and devoid of any emotion, “She wanted me to tell you to come home for dinner.”</p><p>You blinked, thinking of what to say. She was old enough to know the romantic implications of kissing - and that it wasn’t supposed to be seen between two men. A cold sense of dread crept over you. But before you could even get a word out, Zora dashed off back in the direction of your home. You put your face into your hands, eyes welling with tears. You knew she was going to tell your mother.</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Y/N.”, Florian hugged you, “I… I didn’t expect that. She’s never done that before!”</p><p>“I know.”, you enjoyed his warmth, it being a sole comfort amidst this sudden anxiety, “I’ll be okay. Just let me go home and deal with this.”</p><p>“Okay.”, your boyfriend frowned, wiping a tear off your cheek with his thumb, “Stay strong, Y/N. I love you.”</p><p>“I love you, too.” you blurted out before running at full sprint in the direction of your house. There was no way you were beating Zora home - she was already out of your line of sight. Nonetheless, you kept racing, the cold breeze now stinging your face and your lungs aching, covering the uneven, grassy land, hoping that maybe if you arrived early enough you could somehow smooth things over. </p><p>But when you finally arrived at the small dirt path that led up to your home, however, all of your confidence had dissipated. You were nervous, yet still clung to some hope. Maybe Zora really had just delivered the message and run back to the house? Taking a ragged breath to steel your nerves, and wiping your face with your sleeve, pausing to dab at your eyes, you opened the door. Your heart immediately sank as you saw your mother staring expectantly at you, arms crossed. Zora stood at her side, gazing up at you with wide eyes, as if not understanding the gravity of what she had presumably just revealed.</p><p>“Zora, go eat dinner.”, your mother instructed, to which the child ran off to the dining room, “Y/N, we need to talk. In private.” She motioned for you to follow her to the main bedroom, to which she shut the door as you sat down on the edge of the bed, fiddling with your fingers nervously. There was no getting out of this now - after all, how else could you explain a kiss? It certainly wasn’t a usual means of expressing platonic affection around here - at least, not full on the lips. Maybe you could say Zora just got confused, or that she was lying? The ideas stirred around in your head, and you must have looked quite dazed, for your mother soon cleared her throat, redirecting you back to reality.</p><p>“Zora told me something… interesting.”, she looked at the ground, “That you were kissing this Florian boy? And Y/N, I want you to be honest. I will not punish you, no matter the answer.”</p><p>“Yes, I was kissing him.”, you murmured, voice barely above a whisper and croaky as you felt your tears returning, “I love him.”</p><p>Your mother seemed surprised when you uttered those words, but not angry. She placed a hand on your shoulder.</p><p>“Y/N, you don’t love him. You just think you do because you don’t have a girlfriend and you’re spending all your time with him. One day you will meet a woman and forget about him. You are just confused, son.”, she clicked her tongue, “We will never speak of this again. But I don’t want you to see him anymore. I will find you another job somewhere else. You’re supposed to be making money, anyways, not screwing around with the village fairies.”</p><p>
  <em>He's just sixteen years old<br/>
Leave him alone, they say</em>
</p><p>With each of her words, you felt lower and lower - why couldn’t anything in life be fair? Mind blurred with an unusual combination of fear and utter anger, you stormed out of the room, leaving the house and running in a mad dash back from where you had come, bleary-eyed with tears. Some alone time was what you needed, just to think about things. It had all happened so suddenly. You frankly didn’t expect to ever be found out. You hadn’t even thought that far out yet - your feelings for Florian were so strong, unlike anything you had ever felt before for anyone. It just seemed right. You knew there was no truth in what your mother said. You could never love anyone like you loved Florian. He knew you in a manner no one else had ever done before, he had always been there for you.</p><p>
  <em>Separated by fools<br/>
Who don't know what love is yet</em>
</p><p>Panting, your pulse pounding in your ears, you at last arrived at your destination: the wall. It was secluded and quiet - away from everything, and everyone, else. At least you thought so.</p><p>“Y/N!” a voice called. You whipped around at top speed, rather tired of today’s surprises, only to smile with relief as you saw it was Florian. You hugged him tightly, for a long time, never wanting to part. When you two at last parted from the embrace, your lover climbed up the wall, offering him your hand, which you took to pull yourself up, sitting beside him, leaning close.</p><p>“How did you know I was going to be here?” you questioned, pressing a kiss to his cheek, cold from the night air.</p><p>“Well, it’s our special place, silly.”, he teased, although his tone quickly shifted to a more serious one, “Is everything alright?”</p><p>“Truthfully, no.”, you admitted with a sigh, “My mom knows. She thinks it’s just a phase, but she doesn’t want me to see you anymore. I’m going to have to get a new job and everything. If I weren’t their only source of income, I’d leave. She won’t see me the same anymore. I can tell she’s disappointed… I think she knows I’ll never get married. I’d just like to start a new life… well, a new life with you.”</p><p>“Awww, sweetie.”, Florian cuddled closer into you, “I’d love that. And I could be a wrestler, and you could be a big businessman, just as we dreamed! And we could be together, and nobody would stop us.”</p><p>“Nobody would ever stop us.”, you looked upwards towards the sky, “And nobody ever will. I’ll always love you, Florian. Nothing can change that.”</p><p>You two shared one long, passionate kiss, then spent the rest of the night gazing at the stars, silent, simply sharing one another’s company. You meant what you had said, but weren’t sure it would ever come true - the thought of which brought more tears to your eyes than before. You had never wanted to be with someone so much before, nor had you expected for love to take you so strongly. It was a love like you had only heard whispered of in the poetry you used to read at the library, or in the old movies with the slow kisses and besuited men and women in frilly dresses. You wanted to leave right then and there, with Florian at your side, and just be away from the woes of the world. It was the first time, for a long time, you felt truly at peace. A sense of odd, almost paranormal, happiness washed over you, the stars above twinkling in your eyes.</p><p>
  <em>If I could fly, I'd pick you up<br/>
I'd take you into the night<br/>
And show you a love<br/>
Like you've never seen, ever seen</em>
</p><p>Following that night of bliss, life returned to its dreary ways - perhaps even worse than before. Your village was small, so word soon spread about why you and Florian were to be kept apart - nobody said anything to your face, of course, but people did treat you differently. Your own mother seemed quieter around you, addressing you without any of the usual parental affection. Zora, normally happy and idolizing of you, would hardly even make eye contact. You suspect she was simply reading cues off of your mom. It was heartbreaking. You felt alone in the world, without the support of your family, growing distant from them. You, effectively, lived on your own.</p><p>
  <em>It's like having a dream<br/>
Where nobody has a heart<br/>
It's like having it all<br/>
And watching it fall apart</em>
</p><p>Your mother had scouted out a new job for you at a nearby flea market, where you’d sell all sorts of media, ranging from DVDs to videogames. A lot of them were American, and you had no clue how your boss had gotten so many (it was years later when you learned about a little thing called piracy). Nonetheless, it was a good-paying job, albeit quite a ways away from your home village, meaning you had to take the bus. You much preferred it to working around pigs, although you now, unfortunately, had less time to see Florian. Since you knew your mother would be suspicious if you frequently left the house for anything aside from work, you would arrange to see him by having Niko or Roman relay a message to him to meet at ‘your spot’. This worked well, as neither friend asked too many questions (although Roman would usually expect something in return - typically an X-rated DVD swiped from your workplace) and you would hurry off from the bus stop to the wall. It seemed like old times when you saw Florian - having a bit of a picnic, making out, and just talking about your day. Once again, it was the time you cherished most.</p><p>Unfortunately, the winds of change were blowing within your country. War was looming, and many of the men from your village were drafted for military service. While you were, fortunately, exempt due to being your family’s sole source of income, it was inevitable that your friends were going to be slated for combat. And, indeed, your worst fears came true: Florian was going to be involved in the war effort. When the news hit you (you had heard it first from Niko, who was also a soon-to-be soldier), you felt dizzy. Yet again the world had hit you when you were down by taking away the one person who made you feel whole and brought you even a speck of happiness amongst a sea of gloom and despair. You told Niko to inform Florian to meet you that evening at sunset, and the fellow agreed to pass on the message. The hours at your job ticked on drearily, as you couldn’t shake a feeling of anxiety. It seemed mournful to think about, but you were genuinely afraid tonight could be the last time you saw your love. You knew you would have to make it as special as possible, circumstances allowing, of course.</p><p>You left work early, making up an excuse to your boss about having to pick up a present for your sister’s birthday party. He trusted you, seeing as you weren’t one to skip out. You felt guilty for lying, but you wanted to do something, anything, to help Florian. You knew he had to be scared - he was soft at heart, despite the front he’d try to put on in front of your friends. And you weren’t entirely telling a fib, as you actually did head to the nearby city center, just a short walk from the flea market, with the intent to buy something. Clutching your wallet, you peeked into numerous stores, each harboring a wide variety of items - yet none really catching your eye. That was, until, you passed a toy store and saw, sitting idyllically in the window, a small plush toy cat. It was black and white patched and instantly struck a nerve with you - it resembled your deceased pet, Charlie. He had been run over by a car one day when you were younger, around six or so, leaving you devastated. Florian had been there to comfort you the entire time of your grief - distracting you with a silly song or dance, putting an arm around you when you cried, and making up grandiose stories about your feline’s adventures in kitty Heaven. </p><p>Losing your pet was the first time you had truly been faced with immense sadness in your life, and it was a blessing to have Florian there with you the entire time. Without a doubt in your mind, you hurried into the shop, picked up the stuffed animal, and paid. It was then that an idea struck you - the diminutive creature had a red ribbon around his neck, tightly wound enough that you could stick a message in there. </p><p>You asked the shop keep if she could spare you a piece of paper and pen. She was kind enough to supply you with each item, although the paper was rather flimsy as it was obviously intended for receipts. Nonetheless, you leaned against the counter, putting ink to paper. The resulting message, albeit rather short, took all of your heart and soul in writing it. Fighting back tears as you read it over, you bid the shop keep thanks and goodbye, and set out for the bus, riding it all the way back to your village, the plush clutched close on your lap for the duration of the trip.</p><p>By the time you arrived at the bus stop, the sky was a pinkish-purple in hue, the sun beginning to set. The stuffed animal now nestled in the crook of your arm, you jogged all the way to the wall, not wanting to keep your boyfriend waiting. You had the route committed to memory by now, each stone and wind in the grass as clear to your mind as a photograph. When you finally reached the cobblestone wall, Florian was already there, engulfing you in a hug and pressing a kiss to your lips. Once you two parted, he gazed at the ground below, seeming deeply saddened.</p><p>“So you’ve heard.”, he sniffed, “I’m so afraid, Y/N… I was worried this would happen. It’s like a living nightmare. What if… what if I don’t make it? Or something really bad happens?”</p><p>“Florian…”, you wrapped him in a comforting hug once more, the shoulder of your shirt being dampened with his tears, “It’ll be okay. You’ll get through this. You’re so brave… and I’ll be thinking of you the entire time. In fact, I have something for you to remember me by.”</p><p>You handed him the plush, to which he smiled, letting out an audible ‘aww’ of admiration and kissing its soft head. </p><p>“I was trying to find something to give to you… and, well, I saw him, and he reminded me of Charlie. Remember when you comforted me? You’ve helped me through so much, so I… I owe you this much, at least.”</p><p>“Oh, Y/N, you owe me nothing. Your love is a gift enough for me, sweetie.”, he then noticed the note tucked into the animal’s ribbon collar, removing it with nimble fingers and unfolding it, “What’s this?”</p><p>“Just a little note, from me to you.”, you explained, “I want you to read it whenever you feel afraid or sad or… anything, really.”</p><p>“Can I read it now?”, he chuckled teasingly, “I’m sort of feeling all of the above at the moment.”</p><p>“Of course.” you nodded, standing by, your face heated. Hopefully he wouldn’t find your words to be too schmaltzy. </p><p>“Dear Florian.”, he read aloud, “I want you to know that you will always have my heart, no matter what happens. I’ve never loved somebody as much as I’ve loved you. I don’t even think I’d be here without your support through it all. Be brave, my dearest, and I will await the day when I can hold you in my arms again. I will wait for you forever, if that’s what it takes. Sending my endless love to you, signed, Y/N.”</p><p>Florian let slip another aww, tears now flowing freer than ever before between the two of you, as you shared one last hug and tender kiss. Not even caring how long it took, you spent most of the night in one another’s embrace, lying in silence and gazing up at the stars. You tried not to think about the situation too much, instead focusing on the man you adored so. You knew, no matter what happened in the war, you would never find a love like him again. Only in dreams did a romance of this way exist.</p><p>
  <em>And I would wait till the end of time for you<br/>
And do it again, it's true<br/>
I can't measure my love<br/>
There's nothing to compare it to</em>
</p><p>When dawn broke, you and Florian both awoke in a hurry, having fallen asleep on one another in the field. It seemed blissful tiredness had overtaken you. Your mother would be angry, you knew, and Florian had to depart for his service. You decided to skip a day of work (and risk inflaming your mother’s wrath furtherly) to bid your boyfriend one final goodbye. You two walked together back to the village, where he went home to pick up the few belongings he was allowed to take and say farewell to his family. You waited outside, not wishing to draw any suspicion upon yourself. When he came out, clutching a small suitcase (in addition to the stuffed cat), he was once again crying. It was now your turn to wipe away the tears from his face, keeping your arm around him the entire duration of the walk to the station he was slated to depart from. Seeing all the men in uniform, barking orders, and crying girlfriends and wives and mothers and sisters waving handkerchiefs at lovers and family leaving really struck a chord with you. A cold dread crept over your entire form - it seemed reality was just now setting in. You held Florian’s hands one final time, running a finger over them, staring into his eyes. Of course, you wanted to be more affectionate, but doing so in such an open space would no doubt lead to ridicule - of which was the absolute last thing either of you wanted right now.</p><p>“Be strong, my love.”, Florian whispered, “I’ll miss you so much.”</p><p>“I’ll miss you, too.”, you murmured in response, giving him one final hug, “I’ll never forget you, no matter what happens. You’ll get through this. And one day, you’ll come back, and maybe we’ll see about that wrestling career, huh? We’ve certainly had plenty of practice together.” you punctuated your sentence with a wink.</p><p>“We will see.”, he smiled momentarily at your jest, “Goodbye, Y/N. I love you very much.”</p><p>“And I love you, too, Florian. Until we meet again.”</p><p>With that, the two of you parted reluctantly. You and your lover waved at one another all the way until it was no longer possible to see each other, looking rather like flailing ants, with Florian occasionally lifting up the plush cat or blowing you a kiss - now more subtle since it could easily be seen as being aimed at one of the cavalcades of teary-eyed women at your side. By now sobbing, you turned around, mind feeling static. You were worried, but so numb by now it felt difficult to even conjure up a single thought. Knowing you couldn’t go home, and that nobody in your family would understand the pain, you returned to your spot and sat there until night came, eventually heading home, hiding your tears until you were alone in your room, unable to go to sleep.</p><p>Eventually, time passed on. You continued working at the flea market, and, now that your sister was old enough to be by herself, your mother found a job at a grocery store. This allowed you to at last move out, and you wound up sharing an apartment with Roman, who became your closest friend. You two bonded over your shared experiences, as he would often speak of how much he missed his cousin Niko, and you of how much you missed Florian. You had, eventually, told Roman about the true nature of your relationship with Florian, to which he promised to keep it a secret, although he claimed he “already knew” - something he didn’t let you live down for a while. And not an hour went by where you didn’t think of your love, hoping he was doing good, wondering what he was up to, realizing he may be thinking of you, too. At night, you’d sometimes go out to that very same wall you two had shared so many memories, gazing up at the stars as you had often done. It seemed comforting to think that you two could be looking at the same night sky - the only semblance of togetherness the current situation allowed.</p><p>You and Roman regularly kept up with the news of the war, and while reporting was often scarce, you had no indication that anything bad had happened to either of the people you cared about. Unfortunately, it was easy to see the devastation all around. Children left orphaned, parents left weeping, villages burned… so many atrocities were committed. The things you saw and heard took up a permanent residence in your mind, a part you never wished to speak of again. It haunted your dreams for many months, and you could only shudder when you thought of what Florian must be seeing.</p><p>As the devastation continued, you and Roman eventually lost your home. You wound up living with him and his mother for a few days, where she revealed that she had saved up enough money for the both of you to go to the United States. You had long dreamed of seeing the world, but it was painful to leave your country of birth, where your family resided, where your father was buried, the only land you had known all of your life, under these circumstances. Nonetheless, you weren’t going to turn down her offer - she was not a rich woman, and you knew she had scraped together everything she had - you felt very fortunate to be included, not being a flesh-and-blood relative. As such, you and Roman left behind the devastation in Serbia and set out for a new home in America - the metropolis of Liberty City, to be exact. Once again, you wound up sharing an (admittedly shabby) apartment with your friend.</p><p>Living in the big city took time to adapt to, as you hadn’t even seen a town so large in the old country. There was also the additional hassle of having to learn the language - English was really confusing at times, but you eventually got a decent grasp on it. Roman, on the other hand, seemed to really like this country, quickly finding employment at a taxi service and taking full advantage of all the alcohol, bowling games, and fake boobs America had to offer. He even met a woman there, one he stated he wanted to marry (although there were quite a few ‘fiancées’), and encouraged you to find love. Apparently, being gay was somewhat more accepted here - and you did occasionally see same-sex couples out and about in public, clearly in love. Nonetheless, you couldn’t bring it upon yourself to find someone else. Florian had been the only one for you. None of the other men you met quite matched up. Perhaps it was wrong to make such a comparison, but anything else would feel empty and devoid of any true feelings. You focused on work, occasionally taking shifts at the taxi service as soon as you got your license, and doing everything from janitorial duties to chef work until you had saved up enough money to start your own business as you had dreamed of - selling entertainment media, from CDs to DVDs galore. This time, they weren’t bootlegs, either - apparently this practice was more closely monitored in the States.</p><p>The first day of business was a crazy one. Everyone you had known, friends old and new, came by to celebrate and pick up a few products. It was like an all day party - only you had to work, ringing people up and directing them to where they could find, say, the latest Jim Carrey flick or Cranberries album. This venture generated enough income where you were able to at last buy your own apartment - something you were very proud of. While America had proved to be a land of opportunities for you, you still kept in touch with those back in Serbia, sending e-mails and even the occasional old-fashioned letter to your mother and sister. They were doing okay, having relocated to another village further away from the conflict. All the matters you discussed were topical, as your mother had seemingly accepted at this point that you weren’t going to magically marry a woman. Nonetheless, it was nice to maintain correspondence.</p><p>You also kept track of the war effort, and one day, in 2001, to be exact, it was over. After the years of horrors witnessed, the bloodshed had come to an end. There was still much left in shambles to be repaired, but it was a relief to know the combat was over. You still thought of Florian everyday, and he had often appeared in your dreams. There hadn’t been any indication that anything bad had happened to him, and you didn’t want to think otherwise. Unfortunately, however, the months ticked on and you never heard from him. You began to worry. What if something awful had happened? Or if he had found someone else, somehow? These pent-up feelings that you had tried so long to ignore, all the trauma in your life, began to build up, spiraling into a depression. You still did your best to maintain appearances, naturally, but your life felt empty without a love in it, even if your other dreams had come true.</p><p>And one night, as you were sitting in front of the television, watching some BBC nature documentary in the vain effort of quelling your nightmarish thoughts, there was a knock on the door. It was late, and seeing as you didn’t want to get murdered by whatever maniac would come by someone’s apartment at this hour, you didn’t get up. If they needed help, you figured they would say something. But instead, all they did was ring the doorbell - repeatedly. And then a peculiar noise caught your attention, a small ‘woosh’ of something on a current of air - and, glancing at the door, you saw a note, slid between the crack beneath the door. You picked it up, and your heart began to race - it was the note you had left for Florian all those years back!</p><p>Curious, you opened the door, and nearly fainted when you saw who it was.</p><p>“FLORIAN!”, you cried, perhaps loud enough to wake up the entire apartment complex, “I… I missed you so much.” You wrapped him into a warm hug, not wanting to ever let go. He squeezed you back, giving you a kiss on the cheek.</p><p>“I missed you, too, Y/N. But I never forgot about you.”, he smiled, “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do. I’ve heard you’re finally a businessman after all!”</p><p>“I am.”, you nodded proudly, escorting your love into your apartment, “Hence the new digs. However did you find me?”</p><p>“I used my intuition.”, he placed a finger on each of his temples, “Just kidding. The yellow pages - well, and some help from Roman. America has made him a little bit… chunky, no?”</p><p>You laughed at his comment, giving him another long hug and kiss. There were a lot of affections to make up for… as well as a lot of stories to share. But that would come in time. For now, you just wanted to spend time with your love, reunited at last. You two settled down by the window, able to garner a nice view of the night sky, the tall buildings puncturing the dark blue vastness every so often. You and Florian cuddled together, staring out at it wistfully.</p><p>“I thought of you everyday. I knew I couldn’t love anyone else.”, you admitted to him, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”</p><p>“I am, well, physically, at least.”, Florian frowned, “But America has given me a chance to start fresh. I’m going to even take on a new name.”</p><p>“A new name?”, you grimaced, “What’s wrong with Florian?”</p><p>“Nothing.”, he shrugged, “It’s just… a reminder of bad memories. I’m going to go by Bernie now.”</p><p>“Okay, Bernie.”, you rolled the name off your tongue, “An English name. Well, you’ll fit in better, at least… it’ll just take some getting used to.”</p><p>“You should consider a new name.”, your boyfriend giggled, “You’ve always looked like an ‘Adam’ to me.”</p><p>“Adam?”, you chuckled, shaking your head, “No, I’m not an Adam. Maybe a Percival, sure. But not Adam.”</p><p>“I know, I know, Y/N suits you best.”, he stroked your arm fondly, “I was just kidding. I thought of you everyday, too, I missed you very much. But when I thought I couldn’t go on, I’d just remember that I had something to fight for, well, someone. And I’d read your note, and I always had him-”, he pulled out the plush cat from his coat pocket, setting it down between the two of you, “-with me. The other soldiers would tease me for it, but I didn’t care. It reminded me of you, and that was all that mattered.”</p><p>“Oh, Flor-I mean-Bernie.”, you caught yourself, “I love you so much. Nothing will ever keep us apart now.”</p><p>“Nothing.”, Bernie added, leaning onto you, to which you wrapped an arm around him, the stars alight in both of your eyes, “Nothing ever will.”</p><p>
  <em>(Into the night, fly) if I could fly<br/>
I'd pick you up<br/>
Oh into the night<br/>
I'd pick you up</em>
</p><p>At long last - you had truly found peace.</p>
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